Get Your Lushest Lawn By Controlling Weeds

If you ever looked at a neighbor’s lawn, wondering how they got their grass to look so good, your thoughts probably ran toward special seed blends, or a secret fertilizing plan. While both are important, to get a deep green, thick, healthy turf you’ve got to get weeds under control. Here are some basic steps to help you.

Get Your Lushest Lawn By Controlling Weeds

  1. Rake the lawn

    • You want to clear out any dead patches and loosen up excess build up of thatch. This lets your weed treatment get to the problem plants and also helps improve air and water circulation for your existing grass.
  2. Treat your lawn with a selective herbicide

    • You’ll typically find these as a liquid concentrate that “kills weeds but not grass.” Application is simple, they usually mix with water in a hose-end sprayer or tank sprayer. Check the label to be sure the product will help control the types of weeds in your yard. Most common “problem weeds” include clover, chickweed, oxalis and Creeping Charlie or ground ivy. Within a few days, you’ll notice the weeds drying up and shrinking back leaving some bare patches in your lawn.
  3. Loosen up the soil

    •  Check your weed treatment’s label to be sure you’ve allowed the proper amount of time to pass before re-seeding. Then prep the top soil by loosening it up with a cultivator or garden fork. Seed will grow easier in soil that’s not compacted.
  4. Reseed the bare spots

    •  You can sprinkle seed or the lawn patch products that include mulch help cut down on the amount of attention you need to pay to the new grass. Keep it watered and avoid mowing or disturbing those spots until the grass has grown in.

**Now, you want to control those tough weeds that pop up from cracks in sidewalks, driveways and patios too. Otherwise, they can just spread their seed back onto your lawn. If there’s no surrounding vegetation (like grass you want to keep or a flower bed), many homeowners find it convenient to use a ready-to-use non-selective weed control product. They work quickly to wipe out the problem and can continue working to prevent future growth – saving you time in yard maintenance.**

If you prefer an alternative, you can find products, for example, that use a soap blend to kill weeds or that target plant tissues instead of moving through the soil to kill vegetation.

One other tip is to read the product labels. Stick with the safety precautions to protect yourself, your family and your pets. Use the products as instructed to make sure they are effective, and to minimize runoff or damage to surrounding plants.

Once you’ve got your lawn weed issue under control, start up your four-step fertilization plan and bring your lawn to life. Before long, the neighbors will be wondering how you do it!

 

For more tips, go to Tips.acehardware.com.

 

Published: 3/6/2020